Belarus Flag

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Our Belarus flags are made in the traditional 2:1 ratio used for National flags in the UK so this flag will match others of the same size if you are flying several flags together. We use a MOD grade Knitted Polyester which has been tested for its durability and suitability for production of flags.

Technical Specifications

A red and green horizontal bicolour with a red ornamental pattern on a white vertical stripe.

Colours

PMS – Red: 1795 C, Green 207 C

Brief History

In early history Baltic tribes settled in what was to become Belarus. By the 5th century they were taken over by Slavic tribes and It wasn’t until the Grand Duchy of Lithuania invaded in the 13th century that there was a grand unification of the Belarusian lands. The Pathonia, the official Coat of Arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was used in various forms during this time

The Union of the Kingdom of Poland and The Grand Duchy of Lithuania through marriage eventually resulted in The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Pahonia was integrated into the Coat of Arms of the commonwealth.

The Coat of Arms of The Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Coat of Arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Belarusian People’s Republic was founded on 25th March 1918 making Belarus an independent state. A simple white flag with horizontal red line running through was used; the colours were taken from The Pahonia of The Grand Dutchy of Lithuania. The Pahonia was also reintroduced as the Republics emblem.

The Flag of the Belarusian People’s Republic

The Emblem of the Belarusian Democratic Republic

The Belarusian independence was short lived; with the German army retreating the Red Army invaded and established a Soviet Republic of Belarus in January 1919. The Emblem of the Byelorussian SSR replaced the Pahonia when the Soviets took control. The first transitional Byelorussian soviet flag was plain red.

The First Soviet of the Flag Lithuanian-Beylorussian SSR (1919)

The Emblem of the Beylorussian SSR (1920)

Throughout Soviet control the flag of Beylorussian SSR remained roughly the same. The only change to the design was the addition of golden letters ‘ССРБ’ on the hoist side in 1919. The letters were replaced with БССР in 1927 and finally in 1937 the hammer and sickle was added.

The Flag of Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (1919 – 1937)

The Flag of the Beylorussian SSR (1937 – 1940)

The flag remained the same until Nazi Germany invaded and set up a new collaborationist administration between 1943 and 1944. At this point in time the Flag of the Belarusian People’s Republic was used again, along with the Swastika and Seal of the Belarusian Central Rada was used as an emblem.

Seal of Belarusian Central Rada (1943 – 1944)

The Nazi Swastika (1941 – 1944)

The red army drove Nazi Germany out in 1944 and once again Belarus was under soviet control. The БССР flag returned and in 1951, due to more countries joining the EU, the USSR republics were given individual flags. This new Byelorussian SSR flag was the basis of the modern flag of Belarus and remained the state flag until the dissolution in 1991.

Between 1991 and 1995 the former Belarusian People’s Republic flag was used again. A new flag was accepted in the 1995 referendum with a majority of 75.1% to 24.9%. In 2012 the flag was altered to have a slightly wider ornament pattern.

The Flag of Byelorussian SSR (1951 -1991)

The Belarusian State Flag and Civil Ensign (1995 to Present Day)

The Presidential Standard

The Presidential Standard flag was introduced in 1997 and is the same as the national flag with the Belarusian National Emblem in gold and red. It is used on vehicles and buildings to denote the presence of the President.

It also became the flag of the Armed Forces of Belarus in 2001; it includes ‘’Armed Forces’’ arched over the emblem.

The National Emblem of Belarus

The National Emblem of Belarus came into being after the 1995 referendum and was a replacement of Pathonia. It reflects the original Byelorussian SSR as the basis including the red star, the globe and wheat. At the base of the emblem golden writing reads “Republic of Belarus”.

The Ornamental Pattern on the Flag

The pattern represents the ‘rushnik’, a ceremonial woven towel that bread and salt is served on. The actual design based on local plans and flowers and was designed by Matrena Markevich in 1917.

More Information

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